


Filthy war machines

by strawberriesandtophats



Category: Steven Universe (Cartoon)
Genre: Friendship, Fusion, Gen, Implied Relationships
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-16
Packaged: 2018-06-02 16:43:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6574024
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/strawberriesandtophats/pseuds/strawberriesandtophats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Every fusion has its own traits and abilities and purpose. Every time a fusion emerges, it is different than before and therefore fusing should not be taken lightly. There are many reasons to fuse, and the experience of being a fusion never gets old, even when you have lived for thousands of years.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Filthy war machines

The missions had become increasingly dangerous now as the Cluster Gems were now a permanent fixture instead of just the corrupted Gems. Even though they had been working on the drill for a long time, it was important to keep everyone safe from those things.  
Pearl looked up from rummaging around in the toolbox in the hope of finding a screwdriver she remembered being partially glued to the metal side of the box. The shuffling sound in the fields far away from the barn did not belong to any human or animal, it was too distinctive and halting to be anything else than a Cluster Gem. She could feel Peridot tense up beside her, the shorter Gem making a small whimpering sound as the Gem monster came closer.

The sound had also alerted Garnet and Amethyst, who had been inside the barn talking to Steven. Pearl summoned her spear automatically, ready to attack anything that could hurt Steven or her friends. She had fought in the war, she reminded herself as Peridot gripped her tape recorder tighter and the other Crystal Gems walked towards them, she could handle this. She had handled worse than this for thousands of years.

“There are too many of them to fight them individually,” Garnet said, adjusting her shades. “The first one to appear will be the most dangerous one, the rest of the monsters isn’t composed of so many Gem shards.”

Pearl knew their options. Sugalite had been benched, and even if she hadn’t been, dealing with her in the aftermath of battle would be difficult at best. That left Opal, Sardonyx and Alexandrite as Peridot would need more time to adjust to life as a Crystal Gem and to the Earth before fusing with any of them for such an event. Fusion was after all the living embodiment of the relationship between Gems, and fusing could be dangerous and frightening for Peridot in circumstances like this.

Fusion was serious magic and not to be taken lightly, and it was different every time you did it with another Gem. Pearl had fused with other Pearls back on Homeworld, in what sometimes felt like another life, and it had never been anything like fusing with her teammates. You couldn’t do something so dangerous and intimate with someone without there being consequences. 

Pearl looked at Amethyst, who was already facing in the direction of the sound, her expression grim. Amethyst hadn’t summoned her Gem weapon yet and was clearly also deciding what to do next.  
They could form Opal. It was a practical decision for many reasons, not to mention that fusing with Amethyst was far easier now than it had been before. Opal’s weapon was a bow after all, which could be useful to target many enemies at once. When they formed Opal, everything slid into place. Opal was like the ocean on a good day in Beach City, calm and beautiful and deadly underneath. The experience of being Opal was one of overwhelming peace of mind and crystal clear purpose. As Opal, all their power became focused and solid, even if they couldn’t maintain the fusion for a very long time. Opal was, above all else, a warrior, a terrifying foe on the battlefield and yet as gentle as the touch of a delicate flower petal. Opal was like being cocooned in a deep, peaceful silence where everything made sense and anything was possible if they managed to take just one more step forwards.

Sometimes Pearl wondered what it would be like to stay Opal for a long period of time, just for the sake of trying it out. She shook her head and looked at Garnet, who had made a small sound as Steven began to assess the situation, looking between them as if he knew that they were most likely deciding if not they should fuse.

Pearl watched Garnet remove her shades, her expression thoughtful as her three eyes scanned the horizon. 

The truth of the matter was simple. Being Sardonyx felt like flying.  
The experience of being Sardonyx was like seeing nothing but open skies while flying a very powerful, high-tech airplane with the knowledge that your arsenal was amazing and that you had full control over everything. And most of all, being Sardonyx was fun.  
Sardonyx was all boisterous grins and flamboyant gestures and surgical precision. As Sardonyx, Pearl and Garnet could joke around and show off. After all, Sardonyx was a performer.

Garnet nodded, as if she had come to some conclusion. Pearl could see Amethyst turn around and look at Garnet, who was smiling faintly. Steven was looking at them, his expression one of pure joy.

“We should form Alexandrite,” Garnet said, “that is the option that has the highest success rate.”

Pearl could feel Peridot’s curious gaze on her back as Pearl moved forward and nodded, taking Garnet’s hand in her own. Amethyst was grinning, already reaching for both Garnet and Pearl’s hands. She could hear Steven’s exited gasp.

“Who is Alexandrite?” Peridot asked Steven, who was already practically jumping up and down.

“She’s their fusion-“Steven began and then became distracted by the sound of the approaching Cluster Gem. It was huge and clearly composed of dozens of gem shards.

“What, the combined fusion of all of them?” Peridot asked, her voice shaking slightly. 

Pearl looked at Garnet and Amethyst, who were both grinning as if there was nothing wrong with the world. As if they were not here, five members of the Crystal Gems against an intergalactic empire who was hell bent on destroying them all as well as a gigantic Gem fusion underneath the ocean ready to shatter them if it found them.

They began dancing, their movements syncing up in a matter of seconds.  
The world bled away, replaced by the lingering feeling of stardust and clarity. Alexandrite was a force to be reckoned with, difficult to keep fused for long periods of time unless there was a clear goal in sight and gifted with all of their weapons.

Alexandrite opened her eyes and grinned at Steven and Peridot, who looked at her in awe and in Peridot’s case, more than a little bit of fear. Alexandrite stretched with a small sigh before she summoned Sardonyx’s war hammer effortlessly and charged against the Cluster Gem.  
Alexandrite was nothing less than a controlled hurricane in Gem form.


End file.
